Art Class, launched by director Vincent Peone and EP Geno Imbriale in 2018, has added directors Adam Azimov and Eric Kiel to its roster. This marks Azimov’s first official U.S. representation; he had previously been freelancing in the American ad market. Kiel’s past affiliations were Rabbit, NYC, and Pictures in a Row, L.A. Azimov’s filmmaking career took off with Silent Cargo, winning him Best Short Film at the ReelWorld Film Festival. Azimov has landed campaigns for Toyota and McDonald’s, and been shortlisted for industry honors including at The One Show and Clio Awards. One of Azimov’s standout projects is a high-energy hockey commercial he directed for adidas. His vision looked beyond the NHL superstars’ popular personas to showcase their individuality on and off the ice, shot via a mix of formats including an ALEXA, iPhones, GoPros, drones, and an old Hi-8 camera. Kiel meanwhile has a 20-year history as a commercial photographer, and has been directing for half that time. Even with his vast experience in media production, Kiel started in live action from the ground up, shadowing on set to learn as much as he could about being a strong leader. Believing the collaboration between director and crew is the glue to making a great commercial, Kiel has assembled a close network of DPs, editors, and producers to call upon for projects specific to the areas they thrive in. The former dive instructor has shot commercials underwater, along with equally adventurous ads in all types of geographic extremes. Kiel’s daringness and preference for working lean has landed him brand work for Land Rover, Chevy Silverado, GMC, Tabasco, New Holland, John Deere, Pep Boys, XOJet, Yeti, Dick’s Sporting Goods, FOX Sports, Pfizer, Marriott, Cargill, Decked, Ski-Doo, HP, Patagonia, and Outside Magazine…..
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
The one rule to follow is that... Read More